Pros:
First I'll say that some parts of this review carry over from the old layout, and that I'm not basing my rating on signage or tee pads that are certainly on the works but not yet installed, but on the quality of disc golf available here..
Scenic and very representative of the Georgia landscape for visitors from other regions... One of my favorite aspects of disc golf is that good courses immerse you in the regional landscape, giving you a sense of the area in a way that visiting a city in a car can't do. JP Mosely, like nearby Redan and the excellent Perkerson Park, is beautiful and typical of Georgia countryside. Where JP Moseley edges out other top courses is in the sense of being out in the country. It's a different sort of beauty than a city park, enhanced by the fact that aside from a couple of joggers I had the massive course mostly to myself early on a Monday morning.
The course starts with a long downhill par 4 that starts open and finishes in the woods, with a specific landing zone you need to hit to set up a birdie approach shot. It's a great beginning to the course, and sets the tone from the start. Most holes on this course have either specific lines (on the -300 foot wooded holes) or highly advantageous landing zones (on the par 5's) which will set up either the birdie putt or put you in the right spot for your next drive and give you a shot at birdie. There are still plenty of choices to make, even on short technical holes, which is refreshing.
I was really looking forward to playing the course again on this visit, especially with the additional 9 holes. I wasn't disappointed. The new 9 holes are all tight and technical, almost all sub 270', and all interesting. Although it can feel like some of the shorter holes are stuffed in there to make an even 9, they are still super fun to play. 159' uphill through tiny gaps, followed by 139' downhill with a creek just behind.. Then 200' waay up from a sunken tee.. Really fun elevation changes, with some great lines that make you consider shots you may normally not make. Oh and if you prefer long difficult wooded holes, don't worry.. Just when you think you're never gonna need your driver again, there's a 550' monster of a hole waiting. This one was a standout.. It starts wide, with some obstacle trees, and narrows as you get close to the basket, and for a rhbh thrower requires a super touchy turnover shot to follow the fairway as it jogs right, with a little fade at the end to keep out of the rough.. I'll remember the drive I had on that hole for a long time, though the approach was still difficult enough to keep me from a birdie.
The course requires a great variety of shot, with some holes practically demanding a shot you may not use often. I drove with forehands on a couple of holes and even put down a couple of rollers, neither of which I usually throw from the tee. It was great to be challenged to try them.
I played the course from whichever tee had the concrete tee pad (with the exception of the new and currently natural holes), which was a bit confusing.. Usually one layout has concrete tees, but these seemed to jump between gold and blue, or maybe I just misunderstood signage. I scored under par both rounds I played here on the previous 18 hole layout, but didn't feel the course was too easy.. Now with the new nine (mostly) short wooded holes it can be much harder to keep the scores low. A couple of bad tree kicks.. Though with good shots there are plenty of birdie opportunities in the wooded part of the course, with a few sub 200' holes, and lots of +-270'. I really look forward to getting another shot at the new front 9.
The course takes you through various types of landscape, from tight pine forest, to rolling hills, and back into more sparsely forested holes. The beauty of this is that each landscape requires a different type of shot. Now, with the additional wooded holes, this is one of the most balanced courses I've played, and is somewhat similar to the stellar Tyler State Park in PA.
Cons:
Only one concrete tee per hole; signs are sometimes in odd places and at times have inaccurate distances. The course is definitely good enough to warrant a concrete pad for each position. Also, the single pad fluctuated as to which position it was on which was strange. I would expect it to be always on gold, but this wasn't the case. The signs were at times on one tee position but reflected the distance of another position, notably on the "island" hole in the last 9 of the course.
Also, some of the tees in the back 9 are just a spray painted line on the walking path that winds through the back part of the course.. Though it is concrete, again, the course deserves better than a spray painted line on a track. It would also help to separate the other uses of the park from the disc golfers to have tees that aren't in the path of joggers.
Other Thoughts:
The course can be extremely hot in the summer, as much of it is in open fields. Prepare accordingly or play early or late. Bring plenty of water; the only supply I found was in the sink at the playground bathroom (ugh). Also, be aware that the closest you come to returning to the parking lot is hole 16.. After that you're committed to a long walk. There are so many covered benches available that this isn't a con, just something to be prepared for.
The rough is mostly playable in the wooded portion of the course, and not so much in the open portion. There are many places where a badly thrown disc is just eaten by the jungle, and I'd say they are mostly avoidable, but wind and over throwing on the long holes can easily make for some errant shots into the woods. If you do wander in after a disc, you'll wish you hadn't worn shorts because of the frequent briars and poison ivy.
I can't recommend this course enough, and really look forward to the completion of tee pads and signage for the additional holes. As it is now, I never got lost but it does take a little attention to stay on the track through the newer holes.. With the additional 9 I feel like this course will take on destination course status as it's completed.